Retrospective analysis of adverse drug reactions to bronchodilators observed in two pulmonary divisions of Catanzaro, Italy.

Pharmacol Res 2003 Jun;47(6):493-9

We retrospectively analysed the adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with bronchodilator therapy and reported over a 7-year period, from January 1995 to December 2001, in clinical notes of two Pulmonary division of &quot;Mater Domini&quot; University Hospital and &quot;Pugliese-Ciaccio&quot; Hospital, both located in Catanzaro, Italy.Bronchodilators were responsible for 45 (18.5%) out of 243 episodes of ADRs. Theophylline was the drug most involved in ADRs (53.4%), and skin was the body system most susceptible to ADRs induced by all bronchodilators (47.7%). We determined that the drug-ADR relationship was certain in 73% of the reports; withdrawal of the suspected drug led to recovery in 86% of cases. In conclusion, this retrospective evaluation demonstrated that bronchodilators are a common cause of ADRs in hospitalised patients and, therefore, drug surveillance can successfully identify adverse events related with drug administration in hospitalised patients.